The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Pondering Hall of Fame card potential and checking in on Vladdy Jr., NBA and NFL discussions.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but a new year's resolution just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're not all on-the-cheap additions.

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HISTORIAN CARDBOARD HISTORY
The Card: John Thorn 2018 Topps Archives Purple Fan Favorites Autographs (/150)
The Price: $10
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Buzz first knew his name back in 1989 when the massive book Total Baseball was a key way to look up past MLB players' stats -- you know, before the Internet -- and you could find a bit of everything else from the rules of the game, baseball history and more inside. Thorn has a ton of credits since then, including a consultant on the landmark Ken Burns documentary Baseball, and he is a winner of the Henry Chadwick Award, which is the top honor from SABR. Since 2011, Thorn has been the official historian of Major League Baseball and he has credited baseball cards as one way his interest in the game was sparked when he was young. He's also a collector. Believe it or not, he has a past card appearance in the 1990 Little Sun Baseball Writers set (an obscure release that's tough to find), but his cards in Archives can be landed somewhat easily despite there not being a lot to go around. He only appears on autograph cards -- a standard card and then Purple (/150), Silver (/99), Blue (/25) and 1/1 Gold parallels. The stock on these cards is way too thin, so you will see flaws easily -- especially on bold-colored versions -- but I grabbed this one because it was about adding the ink. Archives has included a number of unusual autographs with ties to the game in recent years and this one was on my to-get list from the start.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Archives

Keep reading for six more interesting items ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Blasts from the past, big trades, lazy autos, big pulls and more.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2018 Donruss football cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby)

Packs per box: 8 (seven Donruss, one 2017 Panini Illusions)
Cards per box: 57
Base set completion: 
37 of 300 (12 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Tom Brady, Alvin Kamara, John Elway, Marshall Faulk, DeShaun Watson, Antonio Brown, Marcus Mariota, Mark Brunell, Jonatan Ogden, Adam Vinatieri, Ken Anderson

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Quick, can you name the hottest wax box of the 1990s?

It's not anything from Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck, Donruss or any other creator from the sports-card world, it's one of these 1999 Pokemon First Edition (English) boxes and it commanded a solid five-figure sale on Friday via Huggins and Scott Auctions. 

How much?

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 5.

The packs: 20 1980 Topps Fun Packs (mystery version)
The cost: About $6 total (part of a bulk lot)

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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An international baseball legend is calling it a career ... maybe.

After 27 seasons as a professional baseball player -- the last 18 in Major League Baseball -- Ichiro Suzuki is taking a front-office position with the Seattle Mariners. The 44-year-old had played in 15 games this season -- collecting nine hits -- in a return to the team he began his MLB career with back in 2001. Before that he was a star in Japan with the Orix Blue Wave for nine seasons beginning as an 18-year-old in 1992.

"With Ichiro's track record of success, his personality, his unique perspective and his work ethic, he is singularly positioned to impact both our younger players and the veterans in the clubhouse," Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto told ESPN. "We really don't want him to change anything that he's doing right now, with the exception that he will not be playing in games."

Meanwhile, Suzuki's agent says he's not retiring.

“He doesn’t plan on retiring,’’ John Boggs, his agent, told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s morphing into the role. He’ll still be traveling with the team, work out with the team every day, but he just isn’t going to be allowed to play.

“He in no way has decided to retire.’’

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: Fairfield 100 baseball cards + one pack retail repack
Where to buy: Stocked plenty of places ($5) 

Packs per box: One -- plus 100 assorted cards

Notables on base cards – See gallery

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: Fairfield Baseball 20-pack retail repack (mock image above)
Where to buy: Target ($19.99)

Packs per box: 20 -- plus bonus toy pack and bonus hit
Cards per pack: Varies by brand
Cards in this box: 262
Base set completion: N/A

Notables on base cards – See gallery for better pulls

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 5.

The pack: 1985 Donruss MLB 
The cost: $3

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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It wasn't the flashiest day in the NFL for rookies, but a slow-building superstar scenario might be happening with the New Orleans Saints with their recent trading of a future Hall of Famer.

Rookie RB Alvin Kamara put up his strongest game of the year so far in a 30-10 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday with 10 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown and six catches for 84 yards and a score.

He's still sharing time with Mark Ingram -- a seventh-year pro and former Heisman winner -- but both have picked up steam since the Saints traded Adrian Peterson on Oct. 10. For the year, Kamara has 311 yards on 52 carries -- Peterson had 37 on Sunday alone for the Cardinals -- and 341 yards on 37 catches with a total of five TDs for the year.

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What: 2017 Donruss Optic football cards
Arrives: Dec. 13
Box basics: One autograph per 20-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Optic takes to the gridiron with a familiar look for 2017 Donruss NFL fans and a familiar format for those who ripped into this brand hard last season.

Keep reading for more info as well as some early images.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... and this is Hour 11.

The pack: 1981 Donruss baseball cards
The cost now: $2
The cost then: 30 cents

What's inside this pack? Keep reading ...

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What: 2017 Panini Chronicles baseball cards
Arrives: Nov. 15
Box basics:  Four autographs or memorabilia cards per 12-pack box (16 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here to view

What's buzz-worthy: Panini's updates some of its baseball releases from this year and offers us a glimpse at others from Panini's overall past and present portfolio that collectors may have been wanting -- all in one place and at a not-high-end price.

Keep reading for more info and a full gallery of images released so far.

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What: 2017 Panini Chronicles baseball cards
Arrives: Mid/late November
Box basics: One Absolute Rookies Blue card per blaster with autographs or memorabilia cards found one in every fourth box (20 boxes per case)

What's buzz-worthy: We've got early word on a new line coming to the retail aisle just in time for Thanksgiving sales and it will pack some big, big names in today's hobby -- Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Mickey Mantle for starters -- on a number of designs/brands in the Panini baseball portfolio that help update the season's offerings all in one place.

Keep reading for more info and a visual teaser of two cards to come.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Nothing but breaks as we truck into the weekend.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Bowman Mega Boxes delivering well, retro wax ripping, big breaks and NSCC prep.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 8.

The pack: 1981 Donruss Dallas trading cards
The cost now: $2
The cost then: 25 cents

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 4.

The pack: 1987 Donruss baseball
The cost now: 55 cents ($20 for a 36-pack box; this pack randomly chosen)
The cost then: Under $1

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 11.

The pack: 1978 Donruss Elvis wax pack
The cost now: $1.50
The cost then: 15 cents

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? We recently launched 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. This is a single-pack break in that style -- but not the launching of a new 12 in 12. (We'll perhaps have one of those next month. Click the logo below to see the previous posts in the series.)

The pack: 1986 Donruss MLB wax pack
The cost now: $1.50
The cost then: Less than $1

What's inside this pack? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... and this is the final post of this first run.

The pack: 1990 Leaf Series 2 wax pack
The cost now: $2.50
The cost then: 89 cents (That's the suggested retail price ... but who paid that back then?)

What's inside this pack? Keep reading ...

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... and this is Hour 3.

The pack: 1981 Donruss Pro Golf Stars
The cost now: $4
The cost then: 25 cents

What's inside this pack? Keep reading ...

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Update: Raines was voted into the Hall of Fame Wednesday night along with 1991 rookies Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez.

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If Tim Raines makes it into the Baseball Hall of Fame later today, he just might be one of the easier Cooperstown residents to collect based on his early cardboard.

He's got just four regular-issue cards and one team-issued release from his Rookie Card season of 1981 and all but one of them can be easily found for a few bucks. These quickly printed and often roughly cut gems of the past are not easy finds in high grade, though -- even straight out of packs opened today -- so graded copies have been where the biggest action has been of late.

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Bo was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s as a college football star, a professional baseball and football star and a marketing star. Everybody knew his name and they still know why.

And then suddenly one day it was gone.

Sure, Vincent Edward Jackson played some baseball after his final NFL game -- that hip injury was 26 years ago tomorrow -- but he was never the same. And in an interview today he had a different take on his career.

"If I knew back then what I know now," he told USA TODAY Sports, "I would have never played football. Never. I wish I had known about all of those head injuries, but no one knew that. And the people that did know that, they wouldn’t tell anybody."

His career as a pro -- in both sports -- lasted less than a decade but he's easily one of the biggest icons of his time. It's a story worth checking out if you missed it and it's worth revisiting if you didn't.

Here, though, we simply have one bit of curiosity presented below.

[polldaddy poll=9634961]

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

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